Around 60 litres of paint in seven bright colours have been applied to a surface of more than 100 square metres over the past four months to create a vibrant welcome for visitors to Winchburgh, whether arriving at the town’s marina or passing via the Union Canal.

Emerging artist Lewi Quinn led a community effort that saw both sides of a bridge that lies between the Edinburgh-Falkirk canal and Winchburgh Marina adorned with images and words, including a haiku penned by a local resident, reflecting Winchburgh’s proud heritage as well as local people’s views of the area.

Thirty-four-year-old Lewi, who is from Ayr but lives in Glasgow’s Southside, collaborated with members of the local community – including the senior Good Companions group and pupils from local nurseries and primary and secondary schools – through a series of questionnaires, public engagement workshops and painting sessions in order to bring their collective vision to life. The ‘Big W’ Public Art plan is delivered through a partnership between Winchburgh Developments, West Lothian Council, and Winchburgh Community Development Trust.

“There’s been community involvement in some of my previous projects but not for the same length of time and not with such a broad range of people,” said Lewi, who works under the name of Boiiing and previously created murals for Auchentoshan Distillery, NHS CAMHS unit in Dundee, Heverlee and on two ‘mural’ doubledecker buses which are currently in operation in Glasgow and Aberdeen.

“Because of the range of people involved, I hope the community feels a sense of ownership of the work. It was nice to have the kids come and paint – they really liked it and I would have enjoyed their help for longer but they needed to get back to class!

“I’ve tried to take a lot of different views on board and incorporate that into the design. People walking past have nice things to say about it and it’s a new landmark in the town centre, nice entrance from the canal. People said they wanted the art to be welcoming to the town, to lead the eye in, bringing in the history and wildlife and landscapes from the town. I’m handing it over to the people of Winchburgh, hopefully they can enjoy it for years to come.”

Penny Lochhead, community, sports and greenspace manager for Winchburgh Developments, said: “The opening of Winchburgh Marina earlier this year was such a pivotal moment for Winchburgh and, thanks to Lewi and the community, we now have the perfect ‘Welcome to Winchburgh’ message for people arriving at the marina in the form of this wonderful artwork.”

West Lothian Council’s arts officer Camile Archer said: “It’s been a very special project and . has allowed everyone to come together. We wanted to work with as many people as possible in the community and we’ve had children from all the local schools and older people to capture the meaning of living here in Winchburgh.”